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Tuesday, 8 April 2014

My wife and I have just finished hanging up the curtains in the conservatory ... and I think (and hope!) that this will be the last thing that we have to do before we can declare that this particular project is finished.

This morning saw me making yet another trip to the local re-cycling centre (my third in as many days), followed by a trip to the charity shop with a car full of bits and pieces that we no longer required. The donation was gratefully received, and it is good to know that the money raised by selling our unwanted goods will be put to good use.

Unfortunately the cat is already in full possession of the conservatory. I know ... because I just fed her in there!

We feel fortunate to live in our cat's house, and privileged to be able to spend our money feeding her and keeping a roof over her head. In exchange she wakes us up when she wants to eat and brings us dead mice in the middle of the night. What a bargain!

Mr Cordery,sorry for bothering you, my name is Mauro Ortolani, from Milan, Italy. We’ve never met, but I havemissed you by minutes at the Continental Wars Society stand, in 2012, when Mr Ralph Weaver proudly displayed a true splendid Portable Wargame. I was eager to meet you and discuss about your inspiring work with wargaming rules, but as you probably know, Salute can be really overwhelming, with so much to see in so little time. I had to leave without the pleasure to meet you in person. I read your blog since then, and to be honest, I confess you that I enjoy your wargaming post and the chronicles of your lifetime in equal measure, so thanks for sharing your ideas and experiences with all of us. I have followed with interest your progress with the conservatory, and now that the job is finished I hope you will post some images. As they say: pics! Or it didn’t happen.

Thanks very much for your very kind comments about my blog and my wargaming activities. I only wish that my Italian was as good as your English!

I am very sorry that I missed meeting you at the Continental Wars Society stand at SALUTE2012. Perhaps we may manage to meet there one day. The example of the Portable Wargame that was on show was magnificent, and the layout is far better than I have managed to produce to date. In fact I was so impressed that the photograph that I took of the board is the screen background on my PC. Since creating the Portable Wargame I have continued to develop the concept, and it has been taken up by several other people as well, most noticeably Ross Macfarlane. If you haven’t looked at his 19C Square Brigadier rules, you ought to.

As you will note from my most recent blog entry, I have now added some photos of the completed conservatory to my blog. Interestingly it was only after I had added them that I realised that the cat hat got off the futon and walked out in disgust as I was taking the photos and how much cat food was on show. It all goes to prove that we certainly do live with a cat!

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The First Rule of Wargaming and the Spirit of the Wargame

The First Rule:

‘Nothing can be done contrary to what could or would be done in actual war.'

- From 'The Rules of the Naval War Game' by Fred T Jane

The Spirit of the Wargame:

‘Wargames are played, for the most part, without the supervision of an umpire. The game relies on the integrity of the individual players to show consideration for other players and to abide by the rules. All players should conduct themselves in a disciplined manner, demonstrating courtesy and sportsmanship at all times, irrespective of how competitive they may be. This is the spirit of the wargame.’

- Adapted from 'The Spirit of the Game' in 'The Rules of Golf' as published by the R&A Ltd.

About Me

I have been wargaming for as long as I can remember. One of the first toys that I was bought was a wooden fort that was garrisoned by assorted lead soldiers ... and I have never looked back!
The first wargames book I bought was CHARGE! (although I had taken out [and repeatedly read] Donald Featherstone's WAR GAMES book beforehand [and many thanks to John Curry for republishing it!]).
My first 20mm figures were the good old Airfix Guards Infantry and Band (in shocking pink!), soon followed by others as they were released, and by 1968, when I bought my first metal Hinton Hunt 20mm figures, I had a large collection of World War II figures, tanks, guns, and aircraft.
I was a founder member of WARGAME DEVELOPMENTS and have been the treasurer and membership secretary ever since. I have also organised – along with Tim Gow - the annual conference (COW – Conference of Wargamers) for the past ten years.
My main interests are wargaming any wars from 1850 onwards, although I have a special interest in Colonial, the Spanish Civil War, and World War II wargaming.
I also have a special interest in wargames that use square or hex grids for movement and weapon ranges.